A prime focus of the work of the Friends is to ensure adequate, continuing financial support for DalesBus from the public sector, including West Yorkshire Combined Authority, on the grounds of the huge benefits to mental and physical health to their residents offered by access to open spaces of their nearby National Park and Treasured Landscape. We also seek more support from the National Park Authority as part of their sustainable travel and access-for-all agenda, and from both North Yorkshire Council and the new York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority for whom DalesBus provides important benefits to the rural visitor economy through visitor spend by both day and staying visitors.
But FoDB/YDPTUG is not only in existence to promote weekend travel. We are strong supporters of the weekday bus network in the Yorkshire Dales for local communities, which is mainly financially supported by North Yorkshire Council serving the market towns, villages and isolated communities of the Dales. In recent years this has been allowed to reduce to minimal levels, making most Dales communities heavily car-dependent, leaving both young and older people discriminated against and isolated. This a prime cause of rural out-migration.
We are currently campaigning to have late afternoon buses restored on weekdays to allow local people and visitors to travel to and from Malham, and to provide Tuesday and Thursday bus services on 74A from Ilkley to Bolton Abbey and Burnsall, iconic visitor destinations and walking centres which are, unbelievably, totally inaccessible by public transport on these two days each week even during the school summer holidays. We also want to see cramped minibuses, which frequently leave passengers behind at bus stops during in the summer months – a major deterrent to bus travel – being replaced by more comfortable standard small buses that can, for example, carry walking groups. This is a critical situation in Wharfedale. Malhamdale, Swaledale, Wensleydale and most recently with the new NY 11 service between Settle, Slaidburn and Clitheroe through the Forest of Bowland. We also want to see an all-year Sunday bus service restored on the busy 580/1 between Skipton, Settle, Ingleton and Kirkby Lonsdale and improved weekday and Sunday bus services in areas such as Northallerton, Ripon, Masham, Thirsk and Richmond.
We are also deeply concerned about proposed savage reductions in bus service provision along the key First Leeds 25/26/X84 corridor between Leeds, Otley and Ilkley in total defiance of both Government and WYCA policies to improve the availability and frequency of bus services in West Yorkshire as an alternative the private car.
This campaigning work is undertaken by a small group of individuals, so if you want to help our work in any way, you can do so both by joining our network of local campaigners, writing letters to the press and contacting Parish, District or County Councillor, but above all by giving us your support by joining Friends of DalesBus.
Alternatively you can also leave us a donation by clicking the button below – any amount you are able to give is always highly appreciated:
Friends of DalesBus 